Bryant leads all Western Conference players in votes with 690, 613. Forward LeBron James of the Miami Heat has received the third-most votes with 640, 789 while point guard Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is just behind James with 640,476.

The next center closest to Howard in the Eastern Conference balloting is Chicago's Joakim Noah with just 75,038 votes, a runaway margin reflecting Howard's popularity and dominance at the position.

Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and MVP runnerup to Rose last season, is no stranger to fans casting all-star ballots. He set a record in 2008-09 by receiving more than 3.1 million votes.

The second All-Star Game to be held in Orlando since 1992 carries with it a bittersweet backstory involving Howard.

Although the game is in his backyard, Howard has told the Magic he wants to be traded before the March 15 league deadline. The club is allowing his agent to speak with three teams: the Lakers, New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks.

Howard, 26, now in his eighth season with the Magic, is not expected to be traded before the All-Star Game.

Andrew Bynum of the Lakers leads Western Conference centers in voting with 496, 597. Bynum has never made an All-Star team, a noteworthy development considering Bynum is rumored to be a player who could be dealt to Orlando for Howard.

Howard's trade request has not been much of a distraction for Howard and the Magic on the floor.

Heading into Thursday night's action, Howard ranked second in rebounding (14.4 per game), third in field-goal percentage (59.3) and fourth in blocked shots per game (2.2). He leads the Magic in scoring at 18.0 points per game.